Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill not missing San Jose State game

SAN JOSE -- Jerry Kill is moving forward and so is the University of Minnesota.

Kill, the Golden Gophers' football coach, suffered an epileptic seizure just before halftime of last week's home game against Western Illinois and had to be hospitalized. It was the fourth such seizure he's had during a game in two-plus seasons with the Golden Gophers, but he'll be on the sideline when Minnesota (3-0) hosts San Jose State (1-1) Saturday at 9 a.m. (ESPN2).

The episode raised many questions, with some suggesting he should step down and others -- such as the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota -- condemning those ideas.

During a media teleconference Tuesday, Kill declined to take questions about his health.

"I'm doing fine," Kill said. "Through all of this, I just want to talk about our football program."

He's talked about the issues in the past though. In an August story on ESPN.com, Kill said the seizures make you "feel like you were in a car wreck afterwards."

The man who also has overcome kidney cancer doesn't feel bad for himself, only for those who have to watch one of his episodes, although he concedes the thought of 50,000 people watching him go through it is "embarrassing."

"I've never seen a seizure," Kill told ESPN. "And I don't want to see one."

Advertisement

What Kill is nervous about watching is Spartans quarterback David Fales operate against the Minnesota defense.

"I just think he's a great football player and he makes their team go," Kill said of Fales. "They've got good receivers. He's got great chemistry with them. It's very concerning from a defensive standpoint how to slow them down. If that quarterback's on the field, it's going to make us awfully nervous."

Kill hasn't followed much of what's been said in the aftermath of his latest seizure, but he is grateful for the support he's received from Teague and the university.

"They've showed that support, and I'm very appreciative of it," Kill said. "Part of this that's sometimes forgotten is this game's about the players, not the coach. I appreciate that support, it gives me a lot more time to concentrate on what's important and that's the players."

Part of Kill's business-as-usual approach stems from the fact that, in many ways, this is business as usual for him. He's dealt with enough of these episodes, as have his assistant coaches, that they know how to handle it.

Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has been on Kill's staff at various stops since 1995, and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover has worked with Kill since 1999. So when Kill spent the second half of Saturday's 29-12 win over Western Illinois in the hospital, the Gophers didn't miss a beat.

"When you work with people for extensive lengths of time like that, you really get to know how they think," San Jose State coach Ron Caragher said. "I'm sure they missed Coach, but they carried on as if knowing how he operates."

Kill said it comes down to teaching his players and trusting that they'll know what to do.

"I'm very proud of our players and our coaching staff for the job they did in the game in the second half," Kill said. "Through good preparation, they continue to do well and that shows you this game is a heckuva lot more important than one person."